1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a compacting apparatus for compacting receptacles and to a method for operating a compacting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A compacting apparatus for compacting receptacles comprises at least one advancing device for conveying a receptacle in a conveying direction to an exit opening of the compacting apparatus. The at least one advancing device is configured to act on the receptacle for compacting during conveying. Such a receptacle may be for example a disposable plastics bottle (such as a PE or PET bottle) or a beverage can.
A compacting apparatus of this type is used with a reverse vending machine via which a consumer can deliver empties, for example in a shop, in exchange for the refund of a deposit. A reverse vending machine in this case accepts empties in the form of receptacles, for example disposable plastics bottles or beverage cans, and feeds this receptacle to a compacting apparatus that compacts the receptacle.
In the context of this text, the term “compacting” is understood to mean the reduction in volume of a receptacle. Compacting allows space-saving storage and easy, cost-effective transport of receptacles as a result of the reduced volume. Additionally, in accordance with requirements for example of the Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (DPG), upon the return of receptacles the receptacle itself or check markings attached to the receptacle should be destroyed so that it is not possible to return the receptacle to a noncompacted state and thus to insert the receptacle into a reverse vending machine again.
DE 101 14 686 C1 discloses an apparatus in which a receptacle is fed via a vane shaft to a spiked roller that bears spikes to irreversibly perforate the receptacle.
DE 10 2006 033 615 A1 discloses a compacting apparatus in which a receptacle is fed to a roller with blades on its outer lateral surface to perforate and destroy an introduced receptacle.
The compacting apparatus of DE 10 2009 049 070 A1 has two rollers with rotation axes that extend parallel to one another. The rollers bear strips that extend in an undulating manner on their outer lateral surfaces. These strips are intended to improve the draw-in behavior for receptacles and compacting.
JP 2005-111552 A discloses a compacting apparatus having two chain drives that convey a receptacle in an advancing direction and as a result compact it. The compacting apparatus acts in this case unidimensionally in that the receptacle is conveyed between the diametrically opposed advancing devices. An input hopper is arranged above the compacting apparatus into which receptacles are intended to be inserted. The input hopper has a feed opening above the compacting apparatus.
Known compacting apparatuses frequently are constructed in a multistage manner, in that a post-compacting unit follows a precompacting unit. Such compacting apparatuses generally act unidimensionally, in that receptacles are pressed flat in one spatial direction and in the process are destroyed. This results in a comparatively complicated multistage construction with a considerable installation space requirement.
There is a need for a compacting apparatus that allows both a high compacting rate and a high compacting factor, that is to say a large volume reduction, while having simultaneously reliable operation with a long service life.
The compacting rate is defined as the maximum number of compactable receptacles per minute and determines the overall performance of a receptacle return system, because a single compacting apparatus downstream of the reverse vending machine downstream can accept receptacles only at the speed at which the downstream compacting apparatus can compact the receptacles.
The invention is based on the object of providing a compacting apparatus for compacting receptacles and a method for operating such a compacting apparatus, allowing an increase in the compacting factor by way of simple structural means, optionally with the use of already existing advancing devices, for example rollers, cutting units, chain drives or the like.